Dowel-cutting machine



Feb. 17, 1931. M. BROCHU DOWEL CUTTING MACHINE Filed April v23, 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet l Filed April 23, 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Feo. 17,'1931. M. BRocHU DOWEL CUTTING MACHINE Filed April 23, 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet 3- Feb. 17, 1'931. M. BRocHu 1,792,5771

DOWEL CUTTING MACHINE Filed April 23, 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 awuudoz Feb. 17, 1931.

- M, BROCHU DOWEL CUTTING MACHINE Filed April 23, 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Feb. 17,v 1931.,

.PATENT OFFICE MICHAEL Bacone. or GRAND nArIns, ivirCHrGAN, AssiGNon rro misrnns nownL MFG. Y

oo or GRAND RAPIDS. iriCnieAN, A CCBARTNERSHIB coMrosEn or MARCEL of said m'echanisn DESPRES AND STANLEY J. DESPRES Deuren-'CUTTING MACHINE Application fiied April '23,

rfhis inventionrelates to improvements inY dor-:el cutting -machines, being particularly concerned in iinprcven'ients in the construcy tion shown inf United `States Patent No.

@222.8%7 issued May 23Vj 197.1." It is an object vide means for automatically shaping one.

end of each dowel cut to4 any desired form or shape. Many other objects and purposes than those stated specifically will appear fully and in detail as understandingof the invention is had from 'he following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings7 inwhich;

Fig. l is a side elevation, with parts shown in section, of my improved dowel cutting machine. l Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof. Fig. 3

is an end elevation, parts being shown in section and removed for clearness of disclosure.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side View of a detail referring to the pitman which operates the saw carrying arms. v Y

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary longitudinal section of the cam construction which moves the shaft carrying the shaping head for engaging against and forming the ends of the dowels. Fig. 6 is an enlarged vertical section taken through the dowel rod feeding mechanism.

Fig. Y is a fragmentary enlarged end elevation showing the gripping head at one end Fig. 8 is a fragmentary 'enlarged side eleva.

tion of the dowel cutoff mechanism.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary side elevation similar to Fig. 1but showingone end only of the machine and disclosingv thelower end of the saw supporting lever of somewhat different shape, the y dowel end shaping.V and forming mechanism being applied thereto.

Fig. 10 is an .end view with parts insection 192s. seria1-No.272,o59.

showingr the essential operating devices. for l said'dowel end .forming mechanism.

Fig. `l1 is a fragmentary enlarged vertical `section taken through the guiding head lo catedat the rea-r end of the dowel feeding mechanism. g

Fig. 12 isan end elevation withfparts` in Asection slicwing the device used to steadyand hold the pro] ectmg endof the'dowel rod when .it is heiijig operated upon by the saws to cut a dowel therefrom when the dowel end forming mechanism illustrated in Figs. 9 and 10 is not used on the machine.

Fig. lillustrates one end ofthe dowel rod l with a complete do-wel cut therefrom and one end of said lcomplete dowel shaped. by a cutter head of the machine.

Lilie reference characters refer to like parts in the different views of thedrawings.

rlhe machine includes inits construction a main support 1 made as a casting, and at the upper end of which is a horizontal-table 2.

' A bracket S'including spaced apart upwardly ex'i'ending arms-4 and V5 is secured to and lies Adjacent the base of the,

above the table 2. support a drive shaft G is rotatably mounted which may beV driven from any suitable line shafting or other source of power by a helt passing around the pulley 7. A drive pulley 8 is mounted on the sha-ft 6 and through a belt V9 passingaround the saine and around a pulley l() fiXed at the end of a hollow mandrel 11, said mandrel is driven..v The mandrel isrotatably mounted Vin bearings in the Varms el and 5 of the bracket Bas shown, and

is continuously rotated at all times that the machine is in operation.

A friction coupling 12 couples the shaft 6 with a short shaft 13 mounted in alignment therewith. A cone pully 14 is secured to the shaft 13 and is adapted to drive a similar pulley 15 :loosely mounted on a shaft 16 ydis- Y posed between one end of the. table 2 and a bearing formed at theu'pper end of a bracket 17 fastened to the support 1 as shown in 1. The `pulley 15 may be connected with the shaft 16 by moving one clutch member 18 attached to said pulley 1 5 into engagement with an associated clutch member 19 pinned tothe shaft 16? clutch member 18 being moved by any suitable form of lever indicated in Fig. 2. A shaft is disposed horizontally a short distance above and at one side of the table 2, being mounted in bearings formed at the upper ends of brackets 21 which are attached to the table. A pinion 22 on the shaft 16 meshes with a gear 23 fixed at the end of shaft 2O and whenever shaft 16 is driven it is apparent that shaft 2O is likewise driven but at a reduced speed. The friction coupling at 12 permits its slipping with respect to the shafts 6 and 13 should anything occur in the operation of the machine which interposes a resistance to its operation greater than the grip of the coupling on the shafts. This is an insurance against breakage.

A beveled pinion 24 on shaft 2O drives a similar pinion 25 on a shaft 26 disposed at right angles to shaft 20 as shown in Fig. 2, and mounted in suitable bearings a short distance above the table 2. At the opposite end of shaft 26, a pitman wheel 27 is secured in which a T-shaped slot 23 is cut for the reception of a securing block which passes through one end of and connects a pitman rod 29 to the wheel 27. The opposite end of the rod 29 has connection with a collar 30 loosely mounted around a sleeve 31 splined on and rotatable with the mandrel 11. Spring actuated iingers 31a are pivotally mounted on the sleeve 3l and pass through slots in the mandrel 11, this construction being similar in all respects to the feed finger construction shown in the patent on dowel cutting machine to which reference has been made above. It is apparent that with each revolution of shaft 26 the sleeve 3l is moved back and forth on the inandrel ll and the feed fingers 31a operated back and forth to feed the dowel rod as will later appear.

A post 32 extends upwardly from the collar 30 and is formed with a. guide sleeve at its upper end through which a horizontal rod 33 loosely passes. This rod adjacent its ends passes through similar sleeves 4a and 5a made at the upper end of extensions to the arms 4 and 5. The rod 33 is fixed in position with respect to the sleeves 4a: and 5a but the sleeve at the upper end of the extension 32 moves freely on the rod. A bracket 34 is fastened to the rear end of the rod 33 and depends therefrom, being formed with a bearing at its lower end in which a head 35 is rotatably mounted. This head has an opening 36 therethrough for the passage of the dowel rod and spring actuated retaining fingers 35a project inwardly into said openings to engage against the rod and prevent its return after once being Vinserted through the opening. See Fig. 11.

At the front end of the rod 33 a head 37 is secured from which a pin 33 extends forward serving as a pivot on which two levers 39 are pivotally mounted, the same crossing each other and being` formed at their lower ends in front of the front end of the mandrel ll with jaws 40 between which the dowel rod passes. The head 37 is provided with an upwardly turned finger 41 which passes between the upper ends of the levers 39 and against which the ends of adjusting screws 42 threaded through levers 39 bear as shown in Fig. l2. The upper ends of the levers 39 are normally drawn toward each other by a spring 43 until stopped by the engagement of screws 42 against the finger 41.

llVithin the mandrel ll a sleeve 44 of smaller diameter is positioned, having threaded connection at its front end with a head 45 which has a longitudinal passage therethrough and which is divided by a plurality of radial slots 46, four in number in the illustration, into a plurality of segments. The outer sides of the head 45 are tapered and are adapted to fit against a tapered seat made in the front end of the mandrel l1. At its rear end the inner sleeve 44 is connected with a head 47 which has a longitudinal passage' therethrough for the passage of the dowel rod. A collar 43 is located within the mandrel 11 and around the sleeve 44, being fixed to the mandrel, and between this collar and the head 47 a coiled compression spring 49 is placed.

T wo spaced apart rods 5G project from the front end of the table 2 on each of which a lever 5l is pivotally mounted between its ends. rThe upper end of each lever is forked andrhas a. shaft 52 mounted in bearings on the forks, each shaft being provided with a pulley A drive pulley 54 is secured adj acent the front end of the drive shaft 6 and a belt is designed to go around the same over the pulleys 53 and around an idle pulley 55 so that both shafts are driven simultaneously. @ne of the shafts 52 is equipped with a grooving saw 56 and the other with a cut-off saw 57 at the inner ends thereof.

A rod 53 is carried by a bracket 59 formed integral with the support l. said rod extending to each side of the bracket and passing loosely through the lower end of each of the levers 5l. A coiled spring is placed around the rod 53 adjacent each end thereof, being disposed. between the lower end of each of the levers 5l and a washer 6l located at each end of rod 53. At a distance above each pivot rod 50, a connecting rod 62 is adjustably attached to each lev r 5l andthrough the medium of a pitman rod 63 each rod 62 is connested with a block 64 adjustably mounted in a T-slot 65 in a pitman wheel 66, one of which wheels is fixed at the front end of shaft 2O while the other is similarly fixed at the front end of a short shaft 67 mounted at the opposite side of the table 2 in bearings 68. The shaft 67 has a sprocket wheel 69 mounted thereon and shaft 20 a similar sprocket wheel 70 around which wheels a chain 7l passes for V'the tapered seat intliemandrel ll. Qn the Aforward movement of the feed fingers, nov# i through the heads a @mengen driving said shaftfffrom itfatthe 4same il d complete reciprocatory.movement and on movement forward direction the r d is carried forward a predetermined distance. Thisv distance may be regulated by adjus g the block inslot 280i wheel 27 so as to [give agreater or less throw as desired. @n the returnv movement fingers Blal slide freely over i the rod VA and the rod is held fromreturn byV the gripof lhead 45 thereon. This grip action bring thetapered sides ofthe head ll-5: against ever, the head does not hold therod aesinet 'the movementby reason o the fact that any tendency'tofhold willfcause a forward move Y ment-of the head l5 and `attached sleeve. la

\ l so land in the cross sectional-.diameter t" `The fingers 35a hold the next succeeoi Jwith a consequent `slight compression ,of

spring 49, the Vmovement being sufficient only topermit expansion of thesectors of head e5 and a freepassage of 'thejrod A. VLThis constructionperinits an enact centering of the rod but allows the ready and freepassage of the rod in one ldirection Aevenl though tl are irregularities inthe surface of the rod iiciently to allowits free passagel but with no room to spare. AT he front end of the rod is Vaccordingly held` securely so that it maybe acted upon bytliefgroo'ving and cut-off saws Y 56 and 57.

The rotation of shafts QOand 67 with a corresponding rotation of pitman wheels 66 oscillates lever-s 51 about the axes of rods 50 to bring saws 56-and 57 toward the rod and moving the same` awa-y from therod simultaneously.v The lever Vcarrying 'the cut-olf saw 57 isset to pass said saw inwardlyvfarther than thegrooving saw is "permitted to pass, that is, the. grooving saw' engages against the do-weland of itself merely cuts a groove around the dowel` rod entending partly inward toward the central axis of the rod, while the cut-off saw moves in andcuts to the central axis of the rod. As the rod is continuously rotated a dowel is cut off with each inward movement of the cut-oil saw.

present construction. permits a speeding up of production to theeiztent that one hundred Springs 60 are Vof utility in taking up any lost motion and eliminating anyfvibration 1 liableV to occur from the pitman construction.' By reason of the Vsimultaneoiis inward and outward movements of the Groovin 0 and cuts saw, .it is possible to obtain va production substantially twice that of the mach shown inthe patent to which reference been 1 made above and in which the doivcl rodinust be held stationary durine a period while the grooving saw comes to it, grooves the C same, movesout of the way and the cut-olf saw comes to it and cuts the dowel. The

percent more dowels can be made than with n the construction'shown in the patentabove `1s occasioned bythe pressure of spring a9"V tending V`to move sleeve la tothe rear and noted and which l have used for several years past. 'i Y dowel rod, before a dowel iscut oii''to any desired form in which instance the constructioncomprisingthe head 37 and the mechanismiattach'ed thereto -is not used.V This attachment consists of a bracket 72 provided Vwith sleeves 'Z3' which are adapted to be formed with bearings to carry a shaft 75 equipped at its inner end with cut ng head 76' having suitable cutting` tools mounted;

thereonrfor the shaping "of one yend of each dowel. r1||fhese tools may be of different forms so as to cut the dowel differently as desired and the heads may be detachable from the ends of shaft 75 for interchangeability. It isV sometimes desirable to form one end of the dowel, or in cases where the cut-olf and shaped rod is used for other purposes than a dowel, differently tlian a. grooving saw is adapted to shape, as for example the rounded end illustrated in Fig. 13, and in such cases the Y groovingsaw, being present in the machine, is .permittedto first roughly shape the end i of the dowelafter which the cutters in ,the

. ley 78 onthe shaft 75 a belt may pass to drive shaft 75 at high speed.

A lever 79 is pivotallymounted *between its ends on a boss 80 cast integral with theV bracket 72. The upper end of said lever is forked, .as indicated at 8l, the arms thereof v Y passing on opposite sides of the front end of shaft 75 and having connectionv to a sleeve isa 82 rotatably mounted on but connected with the shaft 75. rlhe lower end of lever 79 is equipped with a roller 83 wnich bears against a cam Sil being held thereagainst by a spring S5. Cam Se is fixed the front end of a shaft SG mounted horizontally in bearings formed on a supporting bracket S7 which is attached to the main support l. Shaft 8G is driven from the shaft 20 by a sprocket chain 88 passing around a wheel 89 on shaft S6 and a similar wheel 90 on shaft 20. Vihe sprocket wheels are of the same size so that with each revolution of shaft Q0 there is a revolution of shaft S6, an oscillation of lever Z 9 and a reciprocation of shaft 75 to move the head 76 in and out with respect to the end of the mandrel l1.

When the dowel rod is fed forward by the fingers 31a from the front end of the mandrel its front end is carried to head Z6 and simultaneously with the movement of the grooving and cut-olf saws toward the dowel rod, head 76 is moved inwardly and engages with the end of the dowel rod A, serving to support the same during the action of the saws and at the same time forming and shaping the front end of the dowel which is being cut from the rod. rlhe head 76 holds the dowel again st movement while it is being cut from the rod and, accordinglyl is not necessary to use the levers 39 with jaws 40. vWhen the saws move away from the dowel rod head 76 also moves away freeing the dowcl which has been cut olf and permitting it to drop by gravity to any suitable receptacle.

The construction described is of a machine particularly practical and eiiicient and one with which dowels can be produced with great rapidity. lt is primarily a machine designed to commercially produce dowels at the greatest possible speed. In practice the machine has accomplished this rapid production and at a rate double that of the machine shown in the patent above referred to which I have used for several years past and of which l: am a joint inventor. It is to be realized that many variations in constructive detail may be resorted to without departing from the invention and I, accordinglyL consider myself entitled to all modifications of structure which fall within the scope of the appended claims defining the invention.

I claim:

l. .et dowel cutting machine comprising a tubular mandrel having a tapered seat in one and cut into a plurality of segments, the outer sides of which are tapered to fit the tapered seat in the mandrel, and means including spring lingers slidably mounted on the mandrel, lingers passing through the slots in s d mandrel and tube, substantially described. 2. it. dowel cutting machine comprising a vtubular mandrel having longitudinal slots in opposite sides and provided with a tapered seat at one end, means for rotating the mandrel, a tube located within the mandrel pr0- vided with slots in opposite sides in conjunction with thfl slots in the mandrel, a head attached to the front end of the tube having a longitudinal passage therethrough and formed-with a. plurality of segments having tapered sides to lit the tapered seat in the mandrel, sleeve slidable on the mandrel, spring actuated lingers mounted on the sleeve and passing through the slots in said mandrel and tube, and means normally tending to move the sleeve in one direction to thereby bring the tapered sides of the head against the tapered seat in the mandrel, substantially as described.

3. Ri. construction containing the elements deined in combination in claim 2 combined with a guide head located back of the mandrel at the end thereof opposite to that which contains the tapered seat, said head having a longitudinal passage therethrough in alignment with the axis of the mandrel, and spring actuated lingers extending into said head and formed at their inner ends to permit the passage of a dowel rod into the tube within the mandrel but prevent its return movement, substantially as described.

4L. A dowel cutting machine comprising a rotatabl}7 mounted mandrel through which a dowel is adapted to be fed, means for feeding said rod step by step through and beyond said mandrel, a shaft provided with a cutting head located in front of the mandrel, means for mounting said shaft for longitudinal movement, means for cutting a dowel from the rod at a point between said head and mandrel and means for moving said shaft and attached head toward the mandrel simultaneously with the cutting of the dowel therefrom, the head engaging with the end of the vrod to hold the same and also acting thereon to cut it to desired form, substantially as described.

ln testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

MICHAEL nnocrm. 

